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From 12th Man to two men, the last fans to leave the Super Bowl

By Matt Walks, Digital First Media

Posted:
02/04/2014 04:03:14 PM MST

Tom Gish and Mike O'Donnell pose in front of the field after Super Bowl XLVIII. (Matt Walks/Digital First Media)

The game was over, the Lombardi Trophy was won, and groundskeepers were chasing down the last few patches of green-and-blue confetti. But the last two fans at MetLife Stadium lingered by the field railing, unwilling — or unable — to leave Super Bowl XLVIII just yet.

For 38 years, Tom Gish and Mike O'Donnell waited for the chance to call their Seattle Seahawks champions. The pair from Everett, Wash., were there in 1976, when the Seahawks spent their first-ever draft pick on Notre Dame defensive tackle Steve Niehaus. They were also in Detroit, in 2006, when controversial officiating overshadowed Seattle's loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.

Nobody could say that on Sunday, though. Seattle absolutely thrashed five-time MVP Peyton Manning and his record-breaking offense, 43-8. As the second half quickly turned into a Seahawks pre-party, Gish and O'Donnell admit they rode the wave of vindication.

“We kind of felt like, up in the Northwest,” Gish said, “we're up there, no one pays attention. The prognosticators and the national media were all over Denver, all over Peyton Manning. As much as I like Manning — I wish he could have got a second (title) — (but) not at our expense.”

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The sky began to drizzle, but neither fan could stop grinning and swaying with restless excitement. They spoke in “we's” and “ours,” indicative of Seattle's now-famous 12th Man fan collective. It was this screaming horde that caused Denver's opening snap malfunction 12 seconds into the game. Later, with 12 minutes left in the second quarter, Marshawn Lynch scored Seattle's first touchdown. To open the second half, Percy Harvin's backbreaking kick-return touchdown took, yes, exactly 12 seconds. It was almost spooky.

Now, though, the 12th Man was just two men, not yet ready to go home.

“You know what? It feels good.” Gish said. “We go back to Sherman Smith, Steve Raible.” He rattled off a long list of Seahawks flame-outs, names from a largely forgettable history of football. The 'Hawks have come a long way over the decades, but so had Gish and O'Donnell to get to this spot on the railing.

“We were in the last row,” Gish said. “We got interviewed today, the gal comes up to us from the New York news. She said, 'I want to interview people who have the worst seats at the Super Bowl.' We were in the last row in the corner. Section 345, row 26, seat 38. The next row was over the edge. It was actually sweet up there. We got legroom, we got people partying, we got to see the choppers fly over the stadium.”

The bird's-eye view actually isn't bad. It was a good vantage point to see, for example, a 69-yard interception return or an 87-yard kickoff return.

“At the end of the game, we had a group talking together, ” O'Donnell said. “Who's going to be the MVP? (Eventual MVP) Malcolm Smith caught that INT, but who hit Manning? Who caught the tough passes? Who ran the kickoff back? There was no MVP. It was a total team effort.”

When, finally, all but the last few stadium workers had gone somewhere else to work or play, the last two fans at MetLife headed for the transit ride back to their hotel rooms.

“As soon as we get off that subway and into Times Square,” Gish said. “We're gonna light it up.”

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